Earlier this month, USCIS, in coordination with the Department of State (“DOS”), announced that it was revising the procedures for determining visa availability for applicants waiting to file for employment-based or family-sponsored preference adjustment of status applications.
The changes, part of the Modernizing and Streamlining Our Legal Immigration System for the 21st century initiative, created two charts per visa preference category:
- Application Final Action Dates (dates when visas may finally be issued); and
- Dates for Filing Applications (earliest dates when applicants may be able to apply).
The first “two-pronged” Visa Bulletin (the October 2015 Bulletin) was released September 9, 2015.
On September 25, however, DOS released an updated Visa Bulletin for October 2015. This bulletin supersedes the bulletin for October 2015 that was originally published on September 9, 2015. The Dates for Filing Applications for some categories in the Family-Sponsored and Employment-Based preferences have been adjusted to better reflect a timeframe justifying immediate action in the application process.
Applicants should use the chart published by DOS on September 25 when filing for adjustment of status.
For more information, please contact Maria del Carmen Ramos at 813.227.2252 or mramos@slk-law.com.